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It's official I am a mental patient

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">Why do you say that? Well, I guess maybe anyone going to therapy is a mental patient? Hmmm, I never thought of myself as a mental patient. I prefer the word "client."

You seem to be sharing a lot of personal information with your T's assistant, such as the comments about tough love and your T giving up on you and being disgusted. Do you find it helpful to share that sort of thing with the office help? I would be worried it would compromise that very special therapist-client relationship.

I think it is fine the assistant asked you if it was life threatening. That is his job. What is not OK is if the assistant says your T will call you back and your T doesn't. That would indicate a communication breakdown between the assistant and the therapist. They need to get their stories straight on what the assistant can and cannot promise to clients who call. Is there a way you can bypass the assistant and go directly to your T's voicemail so you don't have to deal with him?

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I think I've said before on here T doesn't label me

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">I really support viewing clients from a position of health rather than pathology and not labeling them. Good for him on standing firm on this. What does it help to have a label? I think it is enough to recognize one has certain symptoms and then through therapy or meds, one can go about trying to deal with them.

almedafan, I think it would really help if you had a frank discussion with your T about if it is OK to call him between sessions, and if you do, whether he will call you back. Then you will know the score and won't be disappointed if he doesn't return your call simply because it is not his policy to have contact with clients between sessions.

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I feel that T is disgusted with me and giving up on me

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">I think that's something you should discuss with him. Therapists should not find their clients disgusting. They are trained in that. I wonder if he doesn't really feel that way but you are just worried he does due to a recent lack of connection? I do remember one session I had with my T where we totally were not communicating. Whatever I said, he seemed to get upset by, and I did not understand why at all. At times, he seemed appalled. I told him that the next time, and he immediately owned up to the fact that he had indeed been appalled, and told me why. And we talked through that and worked it out. It helped our relationship. It would not have helped me to not mention it to him and just let it fester inside.

I have been disturbed by 2 things you have said recently about your T: 1) that he projects his negative feelings towards his sister onto you. This is major counter-transference that seems out of control, that it sounds like he does not recognize, and that is not therapeutic! 2) that he minimizes the physical violence exhibited by your husband toward your son. This is very serious stuff and his response makes it sound like he condones this.

Maybe I am misunderstanding those 2 things. If so, my apologies. I realize we're all different, but I would be unable to move forward in therapy until I got those two things sorted out.

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try a woman t for a change

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">Something to consider.

I hope you feel better today and can get some things sorted out.